Craft Thursday

If you combine a random Thursday night with a 25% sale at your local bottle shop (Appellation Wine), then to me a random selection of American craft beers is the result. Doug Odell was in the UK earlier in the year, and gave a tutored tasting of his beers at Appellation – which we missed, thanks to a cruel twist of fate. As a result of his visit, several Odell beers are now available here, so I picked up one I’d not had before – St Lupulin Extra Pale Ale (6.5%) – along with a couple from Longmont’s Left Hand Brewery – Blackjack Porter (5.8%) and Sawtooth Ale (4.8%). A second porter seemed in order to balance the two hoppy ales, so into the basket went Anchor Porter (5.6%).



Left Hand Sawtooth Ale (4.8%)
Left Hand Brewing Company, Longmont CO
355ml bottle
First out of the gate was an ESB – Left Hand’s Sawtooth Ale – the first beer they ever brewed, which has now become their most popular. I’ve always thought ESB’s are a good fit for American craft brewers, being punchier than the traditional British bitter. They can be fired out as a 5%ish session beer for the US drinkers who would prefer something a bit weightier than the 3.8% long-drinkers over here. Sawtooth pours a clear copper colour with a fluffy white head. Aromas of hops, caramel and toffee continue into the flavour, which becomes quite sweet as the caramel tastes come out on the finish.

Odell St Lupulin Extra Pale Ale (6.5%)
Odell Brewing Company, Fort Collins CO
355ml bottle
It’s pretty much impossible to feature four American craft beers without at least one heavy on the hops. Odell’s EPA (we’re heavy on the acronyms tonight) pours a lovely golden colour, and has a wonderful citrus hop aroma. On the palate, it’s like a glass of 5-Alive – lemons, passion fruit, mango – together with a touch of sweetness that leads to a mildly bitter aftertaste. Odell’s summer seasonal (first released in 2009), it really hides the alcohol very well. The warm days may be a memory, but it still tastes pretty good on a Scottish November night. St Lupulin may be fictional, but we have no objections to raising a glass to him.

Left Hand Blackjack Porter (5.8%)
Left Hand Brewing Company, Longmont CO
355ml bottle
Given that we are in November and the clocks have fallen well and truly back, it has to be Porter time. Nothing combats a gale-wracked, window-rattling evening like a smooth, roasty brew – so the last two selections from the fast-emptying fridge at Appellation were two darker beers. Firstly, Left Hand Blackjack Porter – which pours the pre-requisite dark blackish brown with the short-lived tan head. The aroma is actually pretty smoky, alongside the roasted malts. Roasted coffee is the first flavour, before the smoke pays another visit, leading into the aftertaste. The almost 6% alcohol really isn’t that prevalent other than as a gentle warming – which is as it should be for the style.

Anchor Porter (5.6%)
Anchor Brewery, San Francisco CA
355ml bottle
In direct comparison with the porter from Colorado comes the equivalent from the west coast, and the brewing giants at Anchor. I have actually had Anchor Porter before, but as an accompaniment to the Black Jack it seemed like a great idea. And so it proved – the San Franciscan is deeper, darker and significantly more bitter. There’s a wonderful liquorice aftertaste following the balanced coffee and hop bitterness. I’ve always loved the design of Anchor beers, with their distinctive shaped bottles and labels. Look out soon for a review of their Humming Ale – not to mention the obligatory appearance of Our Special Ale 2010 in our Christmas podcast.